Telltale bottle.



A. G. MATHEWSON.

TELLTALE BOTTLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 1914.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

AMMMIIHH ARTHUR c. MATHEwsoN, or Lists, NEW YoRK.

TELLTALE BOTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Slept. 22, 1914.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. MATHEW- soN, a. citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lisle, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rI`elltale Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in non-refillable bottles, designated as a telltale bottle.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a bottle adapted especially for holding liquids such as liquors 'and which automatically registers upon being. emptied and upon a refilling thereby indicates that is has once been emptied and 'thereafter refilled.

A further object of the device is to provide in a liquid receptacle a. tell-tale member retaining its position at the latest lowest level 'assumed by the contents and which is incapable of alteration from the exterior.

A still further object is to provide a telltale bottle with a. fioat means capable of lowering but securely locked against movement toward the mouth of the bottle and which remains suspended during the pouring operation but assumes its locked position at the liquid level upon a return of the bottle upright.

A further provision is devised whereby through a. means providing a tortuous passage for the fluid it is impossible to enter a tampering device therein to retain the telltale member against operation.

These objects therefore are for the pur-' poso of preventing a refilling of a once emptied receptacle without such fact that the contents is a refilling being at once readily apparent to an observer of the bottle such as the prospective purchaser.

"With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding partsv throughout the several v1ews:-F1gure 1 is;

a central vertical longitudinal section of a bottle having the invention provided therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional viewof tell-tale member and its suspending sprmg detached. Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken upon line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken' upon line 'of Fig. 1, but showing the side racks as 'being -shaped in cross section, and Fi 'is a detail View of a section of onel of t e racks.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the bottle 1.0 is illustrated as provided' with a hollow disk 11 closed at its top and positioned in the neck l2 thereof and having longitudinal corrugations or passages 13 adiacent the inside surface of the neck for allowing Huid to enter and il-ow from the bottle. The four rack members 14 are secured to the bottom edge of this disk being preferably united at their bottoms 15 and seated upon the bottom of the bottle. Between the racks 14 is suspended the'four armed spidler 16 having notches 17 at the end of each arm adapted to fit over the said racks and prevented from moving'upwardly by the teeth thereof while said teeth are provided with top' ledges 18 atthe end of each tooth and upon which the spider arms may rest, it being noted that said spider is formed of resilient material.`

A. hollow float 19 is suspended from the center of the spider by a universal ball connection 20 while aball Weight 2l is mounted ,ball 20 with the iioat having a conical neck to insure a tilting of the float when inverted, said neck passing through the central opening 16 of the spider.

IVhile the racks disclosed in Fig. 1 are formed of single bars, it may be advantageous to employ =Ushaped angle bars in the formation of said racks as clearly disclosed at 25 in Fig. 4. It is also to be noted that to prevent any tampering of the tell-tale mechanism, the neck of the bottle isprovided above the disk 11 with a hollow casing .26, the top of which is secured within the .neck as by the sealing collar 27 or in any other desired manner and isprovided with in' wardly struck tongues 28 in both the tp and sides there-of -'and .there-by 'allowing liquid to pass either intoor .out of the bottle while the bottom 29 of said member is of solid formation andpreferably mounted upon the top of the disk 11 and if desiredV may be permanently secured thereto. Leaf.

sprlngs' 30 lare secured to the outer side of each of the racks 14 andare inserted Within the bottle through the neck thereof with said .racks and at which time -they arein flat en- 1gagement therewlth but assu'me their normal positions bytrea'son of their own resiliencyafter insertion as disclosed in Fig. l.v

It is thought-that the complete .operation -of Ithe device will be at once apparent. With the bottleifilled with liquor. when itA is sold,

the. spiderlwill-be in substantial engagement' with-thelower edge of the disk 11 and upon.

using some-of the liquid, the float 19 drops to the level when the-bottle is again placed.

in upright position and being allowed to do so by the ratchetingdownward movement of thes 'ider 16, wh-ich latter rests upon the faces pouring operation, the float. is tilted upon .the ball suspensionI 20 and engages the langer24 with the top faces'18 of some of the adj-acentzrack teeth and whereby the oat mem-ber?v .isprevented from .loweringy -until` the bottlehas again. been placed-in its upright .position and whereupon the-float drops .to theI levelrof the contained liquid.

- lvhe spring lmembers 30 prevent any removal of any part of this device While the 'only passages for-the fluid being through the side corrugations 13 and the openings of the. topcasing 26, it is'impossible to insert any tampering implement-to retain the lloat from-loweringso that th-e registering of the --last lowest' position of the liquid is insured. ifVVhilevv the forms of -theinvention herein shoW-nl vand described are what are believed toibe preferable embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made in.- the form, proportion tandde'tails of construction and 'material without departing from the spiritV and scope of theinvention as set forth in the appendedI Having thus described the invention and; inl whatl manner the same is designed for use,-wvhat I claim as'new and desire to secure byl Letters Patent of the United States is 1.v A device of the class described com-pris-I ing a receptacle, a quadruple rack positioned.i therein, means for preventing the removalf Iof said rack, a spider mounted for'ratcheting-.engagement'with the teeth of said rack, a'hollow float havin universal connection.

a ball Weight posiwith said spider, an

tioned 'for free movement within said float, said float belng adapted for engagementv with 'said rack upon lateral movement of said float.

2. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a quadruple rack positioned therein, means for preventing the removal of said rack, a spider mounted for ratcheting engagement with the teeth of said rack, a four armed spider spanning said rack, the

y teeth of `said rack 'having horizontal bottom faces, a hollow float. centrally suspended for free movement from 4said spider, va ball Weigl1t within said float, an an annular pro]ect1ng.ilange u on the bottom of said float and adaptedA or engaging the upper faces of the rack teeth.

3; A tell-tale bottle comprising a receptacle, a rack positioned therein, .teeth upon said rack having horizontal top and bottom faces, a spider engaging said rack and adapted for ratcheting movement thereagainst in only one direction and having a central' opening, a hollow float, aconical ne'ck upon said float extending through said opening anda ball suspending means upon saidneck above said spider.

-:A tell-tale bottle comprising a receptacle,- a rack positioned therein, teeth upon said. rack having horizontal -top and bottom faces,'a spider engaging said rack' and adapted for ratcheting movement thereagainst in only one direction and having a central opening, 'a hollow float, a conical neckupc-n said float extending through said opening and a ball suspending means upon said neck above said spider, a ball weight within said float, a projecting annular flange upon the bottom of said float and adapted to f engage the top faces of said teeth upon a tilting movement of thebottle.

'5. A tell-tale bottle comprising a receptacle, a rack positionedtherein, teeth upon said rack having horizontal top and bottom faces', a spider engaging said rack and adapted for ratcheting movement thereagainstl in only one directio-n, a hollow float, a universal ball suspending means between said spider and float, a ball Weight within said float, a projecting annular flange upon the bottom of said float and adapted to engage the top faces of said teeth upon a tilting movement of the bottle, a disk within the neck of said bottle and secured to said rack and having side corrugations therein, and a perforated hollow casing positioned above said disk;

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses'.

' ARTHUR C. MATHEWSON. lVitnesses: v

Guy F. CHURCHILL, HARRIIT L CoBURN. 

